Page 102 of My Instant Karma

Kurtis: WTF!

Dante: Not good.

Tessa: Is our code the same for the other teams?

Evan: Each team has a different code.

Tessa: Do you know any of them?

Evan: No.

I back up and turn around to park his car back in the garage. Heather passes me with a confused expression.

I yell, “Forgot something!”

She nods, accepting my simple lie without probing.

I slow my car and watch in the rearview mirror as Heather punches in her code and zips through the gate.

I text them again.

Tessa: Looks like it’s our code. Or me. Heather just left.

Dante: I’m checking with Greta to see if they changed it and forgot to tell us about it.

My heart rate speeds up, and my breathing comes close to hyperventilating.

We are so dead. Karma is trapping us inside, torturing us with the knowledge that this is our last day.

What if Death doesn’t offer me a way out? Or if he doesn’t want Dante after all? What will become of Evan and Kurtis? I’d feel like I was the one who killed them, even if I didn’t, but I brought their punishment years sooner than it should have been.

I park the Corvette and just sit with a dazed expression. The fear of being trapped overwhelms me. I fly from the car and race to the perimeter fence to jump it, grabbing the metal fence.

It zaps me.

I cry out with the jolting pain, and I’m thrown to the ground. The energy fries all the nerves in my body.

When I can stand, I race to the back of the property to the ocean access gate we use to get to the sacred circle in the neighboring lot.

I slowly hold my hand up to the metal, and I feel the buzzing electricity just by hovering my hand closely.

Shit. We’re locked in.

Running as fast as I can, I race to find the guys inside the house. “Dante! Evan! Kurtis!” I yell, trying to keep the panic from my voice. There’s no need to alert the other agents or the staff about our conundrum.

They zip around the corner and enter the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” Dante runs up to me, captures my face in his hands, and studies my crazed eyes. “Are you okay?”

Only then do I realize I’m shaking so hard my teeth rattle. “We’re trapped,” I whisper.

Dante hums his agreement. “Greta said they didn’t change the codes.”

Kurtis curses. “I’ll double-check the gate.” He runs out of the room before I can argue. Maybe I did mess up the simple 6-9-6-9 code.

“Are the fences usually electrified?” I ask, my eyes flitting back and forth between Evan and Dante.

“No.” The muscle in Evan’s jaw flutters with agitation.

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